Spring Practices

Vasanta Ritucharya

Spring is the season of emergence - life pushes up through the ground, energy moves outward after winter’s contraction, and the accumulated heaviness of cold months must be cleared. In Ayurveda, spring is kapha season: the stored moisture and cold of winter begin to melt, and kapha can accumulate or release depending on how we live.

The Nature of Spring

Seasonal Qualities

Spring brings:

• Moist (snigdha): Melting snow, rain, humidity
• Heavy (guru): Accumulated winter energy
• Cold/Warm (transitional): Variable temperatures
• Cloudy (avila): Rain clouds, morning mist
• Soft (manda): Mud, new growth

These qualities increase kapha. What accumulated over winter now wants to move - or to congest further.

What Happens to the Body

In spring:

• Stored kapha begins to liquefy and move
• Congestion, allergies, and respiratory issues increase
• Energy can feel heavy or sluggish
• Appetite naturally decreases
• The body wants to cleanse
• Weight wants to release

This is nature calling for renewal. Answer the call.

Spring Diet

Eat Less

Spring appetite naturally wanes:

• Honor this decrease
• Lighter meals, smaller portions
• Occasional fasting appropriate
• The body is shedding, not building

Continuing heavy winter eating creates congestion.

Light, Warming Foods

Favor:

• Light, dry, warm foods
• Bitter and astringent tastes (cleansing)
• Pungent tastes (kapha-reducing)
• Cooked vegetables, especially greens
• Legumes (light proteins)
• Light grains (barley, millet, buckwheat)
• Honey (in moderation, not heated)
• Warming spices

Reduce:

• Heavy, oily foods
• Dairy (especially cold, or in excess)
• Sweet and salty tastes
• Cold and raw foods (despite the weather warming)
• Wheat and heavy grains
• Red meat
• Nuts in excess

Spring Foods

• Grains: Barley, millet, buckwheat, corn, quinoa
• Legumes: All legumes support spring
• Vegetables: Bitter greens (dandelion, kale, arugula), asparagus, Brussels sprouts, peas, artichokes, radishes
• Fruits: Apples, pears, berries, pomegranate
• Spices: Ginger, black pepper, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, mustard
• Honey: The traditional spring sweetener (raw, unheated)

Spices for Spring

• Ginger: Kindles agni, clears congestion
• Black pepper: Heating, penetrating
• Turmeric: Cleanses blood and liver
• Cumin: Digestive, detoxifying
• Fenugreek: Drying, reduces kapha
• Trikatu: The classic kapha-reducing formula (ginger, black pepper, pippali)

Spring Routine

Rise Early

Spring requires early rising:

• Sleeping past kapha time increases heaviness
• Wake before 6:00 AM
• Resist the urge to linger in bed
• Morning movement is essential

Lighten the Morning Routine

Adjust dinacharya for spring:

• Less oil in abhyanga (or dry brushing instead)
• Lighter, more stimulating massage
• More vigorous exercise
• Invigorating pranayama
• Cold water on face to awaken

Exercise More

Spring demands movement:

• This is the season for vigorous exercise
• Sweat helps release accumulated toxins
• Morning exercise is especially important
• Challenge the body’s tendency toward inertia
• Build cardiovascular capacity
• Try new forms of movement

Spring Cleaning

Extend the cleansing principle to environment:

• Clear clutter
• Clean deeply
• Open windows for fresh air
• Lighten the living space
• What served winter may not serve spring

Spring Cleansing

Why Cleanse in Spring

The body is naturally primed for detoxification:

• Accumulated ama (toxins) from winter
• Kapha melting and mobilizing
• Digestive fire naturally rekindling
• Energy moving outward

This is the traditional time for panchakarma and home cleansing.

Home Cleansing Options

Kitchari cleanse:

• 3-7 days of eating only kitchari
• Simplifies digestion
• Allows the body to cleanse
• Supported by rest and gentle practice

Mono-diet:

• Eating only one simple food for several days
• Gives the digestive system a break
• Common choices: rice, kitchari, vegetable soup

Digestive reset:

• Several days of very simple, light eating
• More aggressively clearing than normal spring diet
• Support with digestive spices

Professional panchakarma:

• For deeper cleansing
• Should be done under guidance
• Includes preparatory and follow-up phases

Supporting Cleanse

During any cleanse:

• Rest more
• Reduce external stimulation
• Gentle yoga and walking only
• Stay warm
• Drink warm water and herbal teas
• Self-massage with less or lighter oil
• Early bedtime

Spring Practices

Yoga

Adjust practice for spring:

Asana:

• More vigorous and heating
• Sun salutations - many rounds
• Standing poses
• Backbends (open the chest, counter kapha in lungs)
• Twists (wring out toxins)
• Keep moving; avoid long static holds

Pranayama:

• Kapalabhati (skull-shining breath) - clears and energizes
• Bhastrika (bellows breath) - heating and clearing
• Surya Bhedana (right nostril) - solar, warming
• Avoid excessive cooling practices

Meditation:

• May need movement first
• Walking meditation
• Active visualization
• Don’t let meditation become torpor

Daily Practices

• Dry brushing: Stimulates lymph, exfoliates, invigorates
• Neti pot: Clears nasal passages (important for allergies)
• Nasya: After neti, with eucalyptus or stimulating oils
• Tongue scraping: Extra important to clear overnight accumulation

Constitutional Adjustments

Vata in Spring

Vata types should be cautious with spring regimen:

• The lightening and drying can aggravate vata
• Maintain some grounding
• Don’t over-cleanse
• Keep warm despite warming weather
• Moderate the intensity
• Maintain routine amid seasonal change

Pitta in Spring

Pitta generally handles spring well:

• Cleansing clears accumulated heat
• Bitter and astringent tastes balance pitta
• Can handle vigorous exercise
• Watch for later spring heat increase
• Don’t overdo heating practices

Kapha in Spring

Spring is kapha’s time for vigilance:

• All spring recommendations apply fully
• This is your cleansing season
• Don’t resist the lighter regimen
• Exercise is non-negotiable
• Reduce sleep (don’t nap)
• Avoid comfort eating
• The heaviness will lift with effort

Spring Challenges

Allergies

Spring allergies are kapha-related congestion meeting environmental triggers:

Prevention and management:

• Follow spring regimen (reduces underlying kapha)
• Local raw honey daily (folk remedy, some find helpful)
• Neti pot regularly
• Avoid dairy and heavy foods
• Ginger-turmeric tea
• Stay indoors during high pollen times
• Shower and change clothes after outdoor time

Colds and Congestion

Kapha-type illnesses:

• Ginger-honey-lemon tea
• Trikatu (ginger, black pepper, pippali)
• Avoid dairy
• Light fasting if appetite is low
• Rest but don’t oversleep
• Keep warm

Lethargy and Resistance

The heaviness of kapha can manifest as:

• Not wanting to change routines
• Resistance to exercise
• Clinging to comfort foods
• General inertia

Overcome through:

• Commitment to morning exercise
• Variety and stimulation
• Social accountability
• Remembering how good movement feels afterward

The Wisdom of Spring

Spring teaches:

Renewal: What is heavy and stagnant can be released. We are not fixed.

Movement: Life wants to move forward. Stagnation is not natural.

Lightening: We can let go - of weight, possessions, patterns, heaviness of any kind.

Emergence: What was dormant can awaken. New growth is possible at any time.

Clear what has accumulated. Lighten the load. Move the body and the energy. Spring is the season of fresh beginnings. Let yourself begin again.